NEW YORK, NY/11/7/03HarperCollins, owned by News Corp, reported relatively flat sales for the quarter against a robust performance for the previous two years. The company reported global sales of $347 million for the first quarter ended September 30, roughly the same as last year’s first quarter. Operating income increased from $58 million to $59 million.

For three consecutive quarters sales were up only 1.5 percent to $836 million, but profits sagged 6.5 percent to $86 million.

Last summer, HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman had predicted a challenging year, but says she is pleased with the current performance in light of the still sluggish economy.